Electric cyclometer for velocipedes



(No Model.) 3' Sheets-'Sheet 1.

J. BUTCHER. ELECTRIC GYGLOMBTER FOR VELOOIPEDES. No. 478,086. Patented July 5, 1892.

WITNESSES:

W Attorney.

3 Sheets Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

J. BUTCHER. ELECTRIC OYGLOMBTER FOR VELOGIPEDES No. 478,086.

Patented July 5, 1892.

INVENTOR M fled/(w Attorney.

Tu: nolmls PEYERS cu. wow-urns msnmaron, a. c.

(0 Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

J. BUTCHER. ELECTRIC GYGLOMBTER FOR VELOGIPEDES. No. 478,086. Patent-ed July 5, 1892.

INVENTOR:

MMQ/A By W WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH BUTCHER, OF MELROSE, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRIC CYCLOMETER FOR VELOCIPEDES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 478,086, dated July 5, 1892. Application filed Juno 29, 1891. Serial No. 397,785- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OSEPH BUTCHER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Melrose, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Cyclometers and the Like, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to meansfor registering or noting the distance traveled by a wheeled vehiclesuch as a bicycle or tricycle, for example-through the medium of a rotating part of said vehicle, which actuates a registering mechanism by its rotations. Ordinarily these devices, which are commonly called cyclometers and odometers, are so constructed that at each rotation of a wheel of the vehicle the rotating part acts, through mechanical means on the register, to move ahand or index over a dial, the mechanism of the register commonly embodying a vibrating pawl and a ratchet as its principal feature. These mechanical devices have the disadvantage that in order to be properly and conveniently actuated from the rotating part or wheel the cycloineter must be placed down near said part, and it is usually suspended on the hub of the main wheel.

I am aware that it has been proposed to provide railway-cars, hacks, and livery-can riages with electrically-operated odometers for registering the distance traveled by them but my invention relates to velocipedes-such as bicycles, &c.and not to vehicles propelled by horses or steam.

The purpose of my invention is to provide a cyclometer-register which may be placed at any convenient point inthe velocipedes and which shall be actuated intermittently by the movement of the crank-shaft of the same one or more times during each rotation of one of the ground-wheels of the velocipede through the medium of an electric current.

The instrumentalities essential to the carrying out of my invention are a cyolometer registering mechanism adapted to be actuated intermittently, an electro-magnet the armature of which by its vibrations actuates said mechanism, a generator, a circuit of whichthe generator and the coils of the electro-magnet form a part, and a circuit-closer borne by the crank or sprocket wheel of the velocipede, which closes a break in said cir cuit at intervals commensurate with the rota tions of the said sprocket-wheel.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown an embodiment of my invention as adapted to a Safety bicycle.

Figure l is a side elevation, on a small scale, of the bicycle so equipped, and Fig. 1 a plan of the circuit-closerdetached. Fig. 2 is a front or face view of the cyclometcr, shown clamped on the handle-bar. Fig. 3 is a side or edge view of the eyclometer mechanism, the case thereof being represented in mid-section. Fig. at is a sectional elevation of the cyclonieter mechanism as seen from the rear, the plane of the section being indicated by line 4 5 in Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is asimilar sectional elevation taken in the same plane, but looking in the opposite direction. Figs. 6, 7, and 8 show a slightly-modified construction of the cycloneeter, Fig. 6 being a front or face view, Fig. 7 a plan, and Fig. 8 a rear View with the cas ing broken away to expose some of the interior mechanism.

Referring to Fig. 1, A represents the handlebar of a bicycle, and B the registcrin g cyclometer as a whole mounted thereon. The cyclometer may be furnished with a clamp 13', as seen in Figs. 2 and 3, for securing it to the bar A. C is a battery or generator, here represented as secured by straps to the inclined connecting-bar D of the frame. The wires a, forming the circuit, are represented in Fig. 1 somewhatconventionallyandas exposed,inorder that they may be seen clearly; but in practice they will, by preference, be inclosed in a protecting-tube, and where the frame is tubular it may be utilized as said tube. It is immaterial to my invention how the circuitwires are placed or arranged. There is a break I) in the circuit, adapted to be closed at each rotation of the crank E by means of a metal blade or spring on the crank which forms the circuit-closer c. In Fig. l the circuit-closing device is seen in plan detached. The ends of the circuit-wires are connected to two metal plates mounted on the guard F over the chain G and insulated from said guard. These plates are in the path of the circuit-closer c, which wipes over them as the crank rotates and connects them electrically.

I will now explain the construction of the registering cyclometer herein illustrated, premising that almost any of the known cyclometer movements may be employed, it being only necessary that the mechanism shall be such that it can be intermittently operated by the vibrating movements of the armature of an electro-magnet.

Within the casing d of the cyclometer ISE mounted an electro-magnet the coil of which is in the circuit. I prefer to employ the form 1 of magnet here shown, which consists of two coils an, arranged side by side with their polepieces m and m oppositely arranged. The armature-lever e is pivoted at a: between the coils, and at its middle so as'to be balanced, and at its ends it bears the armatures n and n 3 arranged adj acentto the respective pole-pieces f m and m single springf. (Seen in Fig. 5.) When the The armatures are retracted by a circuit is closed, the armatu res are attracted to their respective pole-pieces, and when the circuit is broken the spring fretracts them to the position seenin Fig. 5. On the armature-lever I c is a stud, pin, or projecting wrist g, which is coupled by a link or red It to a short right or arm 1' on a pawl-arm j, hinged at m i to the frame of the movement. endof the arm j is secured aspring 70. (Seen in Fig. 3.) The pawl-arm carries two springpawls, a push-pawl 0,, and'a hook or pull-pawl 0', which engage the teeth on the opposite sides of a ratchet-wheel 13. .As herein shown, the pawls are so set thatone vibration of the To the free pawl-arm j moves the ratchet-wheel p to the;

extent of one tooth only, each :of said pawlsf. acting to rotate the wheel to the extent of half a tooth, one pawl acting on the wheel at the backward movement of the lever and the other at the forward movement.

the spring f return the pawl+armzand thepushpawl 0 moves wheel p to the extent of half a tooth. The ratchet-wheel 19 may communicate its motion to the register-gearing in any of the well-known ways in common use. .As

here shown, there is aworm or screw (1 011 the same arbor with the wheel 19, and this screw gears with a worm-wheel r on the central ar- 5 bor s of the cyclo-meter mechanism, and on this arbor is fixed a hand or pointer t, which traverses a graduated dial a, (see Fig. 2,)1

placed behind a glass r in the casing (Z.

The? mechanism for registering units, tensf;

and hundreds of miles is the same as that 5 com monlyfound in cyclom eters on themarket, and as this mechanism has no material rela-;

tion to orconnection with my present invention it will not be necessary for me to minutely describe it. Indeed any of the wellknown devices for effecting this registration will serve.

WVhen the velocipede has a bar in front in the nature of a dash-board, the construction illustrated in Figs. 6, 7, and 8 may be employed. Indeed the form of registering mechanism seen in Fig. 8 may be employed in place of that illustrated in Figs. 2 to 5.

In Figs. 6, 7, and 8 the casingd is provided with a hook-like clamp B which is adapted to take over the top of the dash-board A, and this clamp has a screw 13 to screw it to the board. The casing d also has lateral wings to receive the coils of the electro-magnet, which are thus placed at therespective sides of the registering mechanism. Thearmature-lever ecarries'two pawls 0*, which engage the teeth at opposite sides of a ratchet-wheel 19 fixed directly on the centralarbor s of the registeringmechanism. Theattraction of the :arm'atures draws back the pawls, and when the circuit is broken the pawls advance the wheel 19 to the extent-of,

one tooth through the medium of the retracting-spring f. .In this construction the armature-lever e vibrates on the central arbor s, or on an axis aligned therewith.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. The combination, with the frame, wheels, crankshaft, cranks, sprocketwheels, and driving-chain of a velocipede,'of a registering mechanism adapted to-operate intermittently, its electro-magnet, means whereby its armature-lever in its vibrations actuates said registering mechanism, a generator, a circuit of which said generator and thecoils of theelectroemagnet form a part, :and acircuit-closer carried by one of thecranks of the velocipede and adapted to close :a break in said circuit when the crank rotates, said registering mechanism, circuit, and generator being mounted on the frame of the velocipede, asset forth.

2. The combination,with the handle-bar A, the inclined bar D, and guard F of a velocipede, of the registering cyclometer 13, mounted on said handle-bar, the generator 0, mounted on the inclined bar D, an electric circuit of which the coils of the cyclom-eter magnet and 3 the generator form :a part, the terminals of the said circuit being fixed at hen the guard F adjacent to one of the cranks of the velocipede, the said crank, and a circuit-closer c, mounted thereon and adapted to close :said

. circuit momentarily at each revolution of the crank, as set forth.

3. The combination, with a velocipede and a registering mechanism mountedthereonand adapted tooperate intermittently, of the electro-magnet mountedadjacent to the registerin g mechanism and having pole-pieces m and m oppositely arranged, asset forth, the armature-lever pivotally mounted .at its middle IO of the velocipede and adapted to close a break in said circuit when the crank is rotated, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH BUTCHER.

Witnesses HENRY OONNETT, CHAS. A. WALSH. 

